Department for Transport

Lifeboats: Wallasey

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many days of operational capacity have been lost at New Brighton Lifeboat Station in Wallasey as a result of the RNLI's decision of July 2016 to reduce the number of volunteers it uses.

Mr John Hayes: In coordinating a response to any incident, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency will consider the range of resources available to them, on an incident‑by-incident basis, before tasking the most appropriate asset. Operational capacity at any independent RNLI lifeboat station is a matter for the charity to consider.

Department for Transport: Empty Property

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many buildings owned by his Department and its agencies are currently empty in (a) Norfolk and (b) North Norfolk; if he will provide a list of those buildings; and what plans he has for the future use of those buildings.

Mr John Hayes: The Department for Transport reviews land and property holdings on an ongoing basis. As and when appropriate any land or property holdings deemed surplus are promptly identified and disposed of in accordance with business needs.  As part of the Government’s Transparency Agenda information about Department for Transport properties is published on the data.gov.uk website. Information on the buildings owned by the Department in Norfolk and North Norfolk is available following web link: https://data.gov.uk/dataset/epimstransparency The specific information requested on buildings that are currently empty and the future plans for those sites can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Council Tax Reduction Schemes: Mental Illness

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of severely mentally impaired people who (a) were eligible for and (b) received council tax reductions or exemptions in the last 12 months.

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure that severely mentally impaired people receive the council tax reductions or exemptions they are legally entitled to.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Government has provided local authorities with the statutory powers to grant council tax exemptions to people who are severely mentally impaired. As part of their responsibility for administration of council tax, councils should ensure that this exemption is made available to all who are entitled to it.

Housing: Carbon Emissions

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 5 September 2017 to Question 6312, on carbon emissions, whether his review of the minimum energy performance requirements in the building regulations for new homes will be complete before the publication of the Clean Growth Strategy.

Alok Sharma: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Housing: Construction

Dr Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what progress his Department is making on implementing the housing white paper of February 2017, Fixing our broken housing market; and if he will make a statement.

Alok Sharma: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Letting Agents: Fines

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many fines have been levied on letting agents in England for breaches of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 since it came into force.

Alok Sharma: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Letting Agents: Fines

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many letting agents have been fined for breaching the Consumer Rights Act 2015 since it came into force.

Alok Sharma: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Private Rented Housing: Electrical Safety

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 19 September 2017 to Question HL1415, when the report of the working group on electrical safety in the private rented sector will be published.

Alok Sharma: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Energy: Business

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what his policy is on establishing an industrial energy efficiency scheme to help large companies install measures to reduce their energy use and bills.

Claire Perry: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Consumers: Disability

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the forthcoming Green Paper on consumer law will include measures to tackle the challenges disabled people face as consumers.

Margot James: The Consumer Green Paper will be looking at issues facing consumers across markets, including vulnerable consumers.

Small Businesses: Billing

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what action the Government is taking to ensure timely payments to small and medium-sized enterprises; and whether he plans to introduce legislation to ensure that payments to small and medium-sized enterprises are timely.

Margot James: The Government knows how important tackling late payment is, especially for smaller businesses and has previously announced a package of measures to improve payment practices across the public and private sector.The Reporting on Payment Practices and Performance Regulations 2017 came in to force this year. This statutory requirement increases transparency, providing small and medium-sized businesses with better information about large businesses they intend to trade with.The Small Business Commissioner, created by the Enterprise Act 2016, will empower small businesses to tackle late payment; providing general advice and information to small businesses on matters such as resolving payment disputes.The Public Contracts Regulations 2015, mandate that public sector buyers must include 30-day payment terms in new public sector contracts; and requires that this payment term be passed down the supply chain.

Small Businesses: Billing

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the effect of late payments on small and medium-sized enterprises.

Margot James: The Government knows how important tackling late payment is, especially for smaller businesses. The 2016 Impact Assessment for the Duty to report on payment practices and performance provides further detail on the assessment of the impact of late payment on small and medium-sized enterprises and can be found here - https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/business-payment-practices-and-policies-duty-to-report.

Hinkley Point C Power Station

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions his officials have had with EDF Energy and CGN Energy (a) before 29 July 2016 and (b) after 15 September 2016 on the potential financial consequences for those companies of the decision to delay approval of Hinkley Point C.

Richard Harrington: No discussions were held with either EDF Energy or CGN before the 29 July 2016 or after 15 September 2016 on the potential financial consequences for them of the decision to delay the approval of Hinkley Point C.

Hinkley Point C Power Station

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will provide a breakdown of the estimate of the total whole life costs for Hinkley Point C in the major project portfolio data published in September 2016.

Richard Harrington: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Tour Operators: Saudi Arabia

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to ensure that all operators and travel agents offering tours to Mecca and the Hajj pilgrimage are meeting the standards set out in consumer protection legislation; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to ensure that those making the Hajj pilgrimage are aware of their consumer and travel rights when booking tours; and if he will make a statement.

Margot James: Hajj and Umrah trips are covered by consumer law under the Package Travel Regulations 1992, and more general consumer protection legislation and laws against theft and fraud.The Department has published two information leaflets; one for pilgrims on booking a Hajj trip and one for Hajj travel organisers setting out their basic legal obligations. These are available on the gov.uk website.

Parental Pay

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how may people received (a) statutory paternity and (b) shared parental pay in the financial year 2016-17.

Margot James: Based on the data provided to HM Revenue & Customs by employers, we estimate that around 221,000 employees claimed statutory Paternity Pay and around 8,700 employees claimed statutory Shared Parental Pay in 2016-17.

Digital Technology: Television

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the timetable is for the publication of the responses to the call for views by the Intellectual Property Office on IPTV set-top boxes.

Joseph Johnson: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Wind Power

Heidi Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans his Department has to remove the process of constraint payments whereby wind turbine operators are recompensed at times of surplus generation and attempted stabilisation of the grid.

Richard Harrington: The Government has no plans to remove the longstanding arrangements for managing transmission constraints, under which various types of generation are compensated in order to change their planned output.

Wind Power: Health Hazards

Heidi Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy of 12 September 2017, Official Report, column 635, if he will provide an update on the Government's monitoring of the effect on human health of wind turbine low-frequency sound and infrasound; and what assessment his Department has made of those findings.

Richard Harrington: Government commissioned WSP/Parsons Brinckerhoff to review the available evidence on the human response to Amplitude Modulation (AM) noise produced by wind turbines. The final report of the review was published on 25 October 2016 [1].We encourage Local Authorities and developers to apply the recommendations of the report as appropriate when considering planning applications for new sites to protect local residents from excessive AM noise.To date, no evidence has been brought to the Department’s attention that changes the recommendations of the report. [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/review-of-the-evidence-on-the-response-to-amplitude-modulation-from-wind-turbines

Modern Working Practices Review

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will place in the Library copies of written evidence submitted to the Taylor review of modern working practices published on 11 July 2017.

Margot James: Copies of the written submissions submitted to the Review will be published on the Gov.uk website in due course.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Modern Working Practices Review

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many meetings were held by officials of his Department on the Taylor review of modern working practices between 30 November 2016 and 11 July 2017.

Margot James: Officials in the Department met a number of business organisations and businesses, trade unions and worker representative groups, academics and third sector organisations in the course of the Review. They also met officials from other Government Departments. We are unable to quantify how meetings were held in total.

Modern Working Practices Review

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the cost to the public purse was of the Taylor review of modern working practices.

Margot James: The total calculable cost of the Review was £73,724.45. This figure includes the cost of the Review Chair’s time, travel expenses for the Chair and expert panel members, costs of regional events and the cost of design and printing the report.In addition to the costs set out above, a number of Government policy officials, lawyers and analysts from a number of Government departments worked on this Review and these costs were met from existing departmental budgets.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Redundancy

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many (a) men and (b) women have left his Department under exit schemes since 31 March 2016.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not run any exit scheme for its UK based staff in the period from 31 March 2016 to date.

Somalia: Piracy

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to reduce levels of maritime piracy off the Somali coast.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​The UK plays a leading role in the fight against piracy in the Western Indian Ocean. We contribute to the Commander and Operational Headquarters of the EU's counter piracy mission, EU Navel Force (NAVFOR) Operation Atalanta. We also contribute to the Deputy Commander for the Combined Maritime Force, whose Task Force 151 has a specific focus on counter piracy. We are also a supporter of bilateral and multilateral maritime security capacity building programmes in the region. Between 2010 and 2016, the UK contributed over £17.2m to these programmes, which have helped to support counter-piracy efforts, increase regional maritime awareness and improve legal frameworks.In May 2017, the UK hosted and co-chaired the London Somalia Conference, at which the international community reaffirmed its commitment to deterring and combatting piracy, and the Federal Government and the Federal Member States of Somalia reiterated their commitment to improving maritime security and building a capable coastguard.According to EU NAVFOR Operation Atalanta, there have been six piracy attacks on commercial vessels in the region in 2017. Of those, only one – an attack against a Comoros flagged oil tanker, the Aris 13, on 13 March 2017 – was successful. By contrast, in 2011, there were 176 reported piracy attacks.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many civil servants in his Department are part of the Government Commercial Function; and how many of those civil servants have been seconded (a) outside the Government and (b) in from outside the Government in each year since 2012.

Sir Alan Duncan: We currently have fewer than five officers working at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office that are part of the Government Commercial Function. We are therefore unable to confirm the precise numbers as this might enable individual identities to be revealed.

Nepal: Criminal Law

Brendan O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has received on the Criminal Code Bill passed by the Nepali Parliament on 8 August 2017; what discussions he has had with Government of Nepal on that bill; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Field: ​During drafting, our officials in Nepal met with the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs to discuss the Bill and raise the need for compliance with the international human rights standards. The final legislation is not yet public. However, if the final legislation follows up the intentions in the draft bill, I would welcome the criminalisation, within Nepali law, of acts that constitute gross violations of human rights and are established as crimes under international law, including enforced disappearances and torture.

Nepal: Religious Freedom

Brendan O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on limited access to burial lands of religious minority communities in Nepal.

Mark Field: ​Our officials in Nepal met the representatives of Christian Solidarity Worldwide and Inter-faith groups in July 2016. The representatives briefed about the problem of not having adequate burial lands for religious minorities.

Caribbean: Hurricanes and Tornadoes

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which departments contributed to the £32 million allocated to relief and support following Hurricane Irma; and how much each such Department contributed to that sum.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​The £32million came from the Conflict, Security, & Stability Fund, a cross Whitehall fund. The Government subsequently contributed a further £25million: this was comprised of £15million from Her Majesty's Treasury reserves and £10million from the Department for International Development's budget.

British Overseas Territories: Hurricanes and Tornadoes

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate he has made of further financial support which will be required in the current financial year by British Overseas Territories following Hurricane Irma.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Government has allocated £57 million to meet the immediate humanitarian needs of the three Overseas Territories affected by Hurricanes Irma and Maria. We are assisting the Overseas Territory Governments with their impact and needs assessments, which will inform their future requirements.

Venezuela: Sanctions

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what EU sanctions the UK is applying to (a) Venezuela or (b) Venezuelan citizens.

Sir Alan Duncan: No EU sanctions are currently in force against Venezuela. We will continue to work with like-minded partners, including the EU, to consider a wide range of options, including sanctions.

Africa: World War I

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 17 July 2017 to Question 4381, what events his Department is supporting in Africa to commemorate contribution of African soldiers to the First World War.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​A number of our diplomatic posts in Africa take part in commemorating African soldiers' contributions to the First World War through annual Remembrance Day services as well as specific commemorations to mark other anniversaries.One of the most important events so far this year has been the commemoration of the sacrifice of Nigerians in the First World War (and the Second World War) through the dedication of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission-funded Abuja Memorial on 31 August, in the presence of the Foreign Secretary and our High Commissioner in Nigeria.

Caribbean: Hurricanes and Tornadoes

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how the £32 million allocated to relief and support following Hurricane Irma will be spent.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​The £57 million allocated to the Hurricane Irma response is helping to meet the immediate needs of the Territories and to contribute towards early recovery. This includes the distribution of vital humanitarian supplies; the deployment of the UK military to service the relief operation; the provision of prison and police officers to meet basic security needs; and support to the public health system.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Arms Length External Organisations

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2017 to Question 8242, on Foreign and Commonwealth Office: arms length external organisations, what the timetable is for the estimate of the number of arms-lengths bodies that will be established after the UK leaves the EU to be made and published.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​The UK's future relationship with the EU's decentralised bodies after leaving the EU is a matter for the negotiations. As such, it is, at the present time, too early to say when any such projection would be made.

Caribbean: Hurricanes and Tornadoes

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will undertake an assessment of the effectiveness of the Government's response to Hurricane Irma.

Sir Alan Duncan: In line with our usual procedures, we will conduct an internal review to identify lessons learned in the Government’s response to Hurricane Irma. These will be incorporated into future crisis responses.

British Overseas Territories: Hurricanes and Tornadoes

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he plans to publish an assessment of the reconstruction needs of British Overseas Territories affected by Hurricane Irma.

Sir Alan Duncan: A team of technical experts will start discussions with the Overseas Territory Governments this week, to help them identify their future reconstruction needs. Given the levels of devastation caused by Hurricanes Irma and Maria, it is not possible to be precise about when those needs will be fully assessed and prioritised.

Gibraltar: Trade Agreements

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2017 to Question 9592, what steps his Department has made to investigate the (a) possibility and (b) potential benefits of establishing a free trade area between Gibraltar and the UK.

Sir Alan Duncan: I refer my Hon. Friend to my answer of 9 October (PQ 105405).

Responsibility to Protect

Mr Bob Seely: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his policy is on the UN's Responsibility to Protect policy; and if he will make representations to his Russian counterpart to request their unequivocal support for that policy.

Rory Stewart: ​The UK is fully committed to the concept of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) which was endorsed by all UN Member States in 2005. We regularly remind all states of their commitment to protect populations from atrocity crimes and to use all three pillars of the concept to uphold the responsibility to protect. Additionally, by signing up to the Accountability, Coherence and Transparency (ACT) group's Code of Conduct we have committed to never vote against credible Security Council action to stop mass atrocities and crimes against humanity. We urge all present and future Security Council members to support the Code.

Côte d'Ivoire: Forests

Liz McInnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to address the accelerating deforestation of the Ivory Coast due to the illegal growth of cocoa crops.

Rory Stewart: We are very much engaged in supporting efforts to end deforestation, including through the Department for International Development (DFID) funded Cocoa and Forests Initiative, which was launched in London in March. Under this initiative, the cocoa and chocolate industries have committed publicly to end deforestation associated with cocoa production in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire. DFID has provided support for consultations on Joint Frameworks for Action on Cocoa and Deforestation with government, farmers and civil society in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire, to ensure the industry commitment is implemented.

Saudi Arabia: British Nationals Abroad

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in Saudi Arabia on support for UK nationals traveling to Saudi Arabia for the Hajj pilgrimage in the event they encounter any difficulties with their tour operators; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: ​I welcome the significant efforts made by Saudi Arabia in providing the infrastructure and services to allow millions of Muslims from around the world to perform their religious duty. The British Consulate General in Jeddah maintains a close dialogue with the Ministry of Hajj, including on issues with tour operators, to ensure an effective consular service to British pilgrims throughout their visit to Saudi Arabia. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has extensive travel advice for pilgrims at https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/saudi-arabia/pilgrimage, including advice on choosing a tour operator.

Cabinet Office

Cybercrime

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2017 to Question 7506, on cybercrime, who the international partners referred to in that Answer are and what the (a) number and (b) nature of the commercial offerings are for delivering this service.

Caroline Nokes: The Government’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) continues to develop an operational capacity to exchange cyber threat information at scale using open standards, beginning with organisations in the UK and the five eyes international partners, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Following an industry day earlier this year, NCSC is assessing a number of possible commercial product that would integrate into NCSC’s threat intelligence systems to ensure the effective delivery of this capability. It will deploy this in pilot during 2018 with a view to sharing it more widely thereafter.

Public Sector: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 14 September 2017 to Question 7608, on Public Sector: Procurement, how many service users waived their right to anonymity in the last 12 months.

Caroline Nokes: Checking tax compliance is the responsibility of the contracting authority. This information is not held centrally.

Government Departments: Apprentices

Frank Field: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many young people in Merseyside have applied for apprenticeships under the civil service apprenticeship scheme; how many such applications were successful; how many such apprenticeships were taken up; and how many of those apprentices served in areas which they had denoted they wished to serve in.

Caroline Nokes: In 2017, 1,481 people in Merseyside have applied for apprenticeships under the Civil Service apprenticeship scheme, known as Civil Service Fast Track. Fast Track is not aimed purely at young people as it as no upper age limit.143 were successful and all apprentices took up offers.15 served in their first preference of Merseyside. The remaining apprentices were offered other locations in the UK.

Electronic Government: Proof of Identity

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 13 September 2017 to Question 8513, on electronic government: proof of identity, what plans he has to roll out Verify to the private sector; and what estimate he has made of the potential receipts to the taxpayer from that roll out.

Caroline Nokes: Cabinet Office is actively planning to roll out GOV.UK Verify to private sector in line with the commitments made in the Government’s Transformation Strategy. This will enable people to use the same account, which meets high government standards, to prove their identity online for private sector services, such as opening a bank account without having to go into a branch.Value for taxpayer money is being assessed on an ongoing basis, to inform future commercial arrangements.

Government Communication Service

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2017 to Question 8718, on the Government Communication Service, what the five projects were that were completed by the Government Communications Service International.

Chris Skidmore: The GCS Knowledge & Capability Unit has completed projects providing capability building support to the Governments of Tunisia, Georgia, Montenegro, Ukraine and NATO.The Unit has supported the Government of Tunisia to launch a campaign to support young people to start a business and on crisis communications.The GCS Knowledge & Capability Unit has supported the Governments of Georgia, Montenegro and Ukraine to build their capability to coordinate communications across government.The Unit has supported NATO to launch the campaign, #WEARENATO with the aim of building support for the alliance.

Government Departments: Procurement

Frank Field: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many companies supplying goods and services to the Government have been identified as avoiding their tax liabilities in the UK.

Caroline Nokes: Checking tax compliance is the responsibility of the contracting authority. This information is not held centrally.

Government Departments: Empty Property

Norman Lamb: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many buildings owned by Government Departments are currently empty in (a) Norfolk and (b) North Norfolk; and if he will provide a list of those buildings, the Departments to which they belong and the plans he has for their future use.

Caroline Nokes: Cabinet Office only has records of core central property that have been provided by departments. The Government Property Unit is responsible for minimising vacancy by supporting departments to sell, sublet, find alternative use, and to do early surrenders. Interventions such as these have contributed significantly to minimising the vacancy rates and cost to the taxpayer.As shown in the State of the Estate Report 2015-16 published in February 2017, total vacant space represents 1.4% of the entire Central Estate, a drop of 2% from 2014–15. This is well below the average in the private sector of 8.9%.No buildings appear on the unit’s electronic property system as vacant in North Norfolk area. In the wider Norfolk area, there is one building that is vacant and records show that this building was used for vehicle testing and is being marketed for sale:List A: Vacant building in Norfolk Property NameProperty AddressDepartment (Erstwhile) CRIMPLESHAM TEST STATIONBEXWELL AIRFIELD KING'S LYNN NORFOLK PE33 9DUDepartment for Transport

Cybercrime

Vicky Ford: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government is taking to ensure the cyber security of both public and private sector organisations.

Caroline Nokes: The National Cyber Security Strategy, supported by £1.9 billion of transformational investment, sets out measures to defend our people, businesses, and assets; deter our adversaries; and develop necessary skills and capabilities.The National Cyber Security Centre provides advice that helps public and private sector organisations to be more resilient to cyber attacks.

Public Sector: Cybercrime

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government is taking to protect public services against cyber attacks.

Caroline Nokes: The Government takes the threat of cyber attacks against public services very seriously. We support Health and Local Government sectors in improving their cyber resilience and encourage all organisations to implement the NCSC’s advice: to keep software patches up to date, to run antivirus and to back up their data.

General Election 2017: Election Offences

Gareth Snell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many incidents of electoral fraud committed by students double voting were recorded during the 2017 General Election.

Chris Skidmore: Voting more than once in a national election is illegal and the Government takes all reports of electoral fraud very seriously. The National Police Chief Council have reported that a number of incidents are being investigated. However, it would be inappropriate to go into more detail whilst investigations are underway.

Wales Office

RAF St Athan

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, whether he has had discussions with the Welsh Government on the possibility of utilising the site occupied by No. 4 School of Technical Training at St. Athan in the event that school is relocated; and if he will make a statement.

Alun Cairns: UK Government officials meet regularly with the Welsh Government on the future opportunities for St Athan. A light infantry unit will move to St Athan following the relocation of the RAF’s No. 4 school of Technical Training, maintaining St Athan’s role as an important military and civilian site.

EU Grants and Loans: Wales

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, with reference to the Answer of 26 April 2017 to Question 71604, on EU grants and loans: Wales, whether the Shared Prosperity Fund will disburse to the Government of Wales sums at least equal to the amounts for European Structural and Investments funds as set out in that Answer.

Alun Cairns: Our manifesto committed to creating a UK Shared Prosperity Fund and work is ongoing across Government to consider how best this can be achieved. As per our commitment, we will of course work with the Welsh Government and other stakeholders across Wales and the UK.

EU Grants and Loans: Wales

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the establishment of the Shared Prosperity Fund; and if he will make a statement.

Alun Cairns: Our manifesto committed to creating a UK Shared Prosperity Fund and work is ongoing across Government to consider how best this can be achieved. As per our commitment, we will of course work with the Welsh Government and other stakeholders across Wales and the UK.

EU Grants and Loans: Wales

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2017 to Question 7156, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on specific recommendations as to which EU programmes operating in Wales the Government should contribute towards to continue to access after the UK leaves the EU.

Alun Cairns: As the Prime Minister set out in her speech in Florence, we want to continue to work together in ways that promote the long-term economic development of the continent, including continuing to take part in those specific policies and programmes which are of significant advantage to the whole of the UK and the EU, such as those that promote science, education and culture – and those that promote our mutual security.Our involvement in such programmes will of course be subject to the outcome of the negotiations with the EU.

Migrant Workers: Wales

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, if he will take steps to place in the Library an estimate of the number of non-UK EU citizens employed by each sector in Wales.

Alun Cairns: The table attached is a three year pooled data set of the Annual Population Survey produced by the Office for National Statistics. The table contains the number of non-UK EU citizens employed by each sector in Wales between 2013 and 2015. These are the most recent figures available. I will deposit the relevant figures in the Library of the house. 



Table PQ 105965
(Excel SpreadSheet, 18.73 KB)

Brexit: Wales

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what discussions he has had with the Welsh Government on its proposed changes to the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill.

Alun Cairns: My Rt hon Friend the First Secretary of State and I are meeting the First Minister today to discuss the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill as part of our ongoing engagement on the Bill. We will give careful consideration to the changes to the Bill proposed jointly by the Welsh and Scottish Governments.

Wales Office: Brexit

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of the Civil Service workforce in his Department dedicated to planning for (a) the UK leaving the EU and (b) projects relating to the UK leaving the EU.

Alun Cairns: The Department for Exiting the European Union has responsibility for overseeing preparations for the withdrawal of the UK from the EU and conducting these withdrawal negotiations in support of the Prime Minister. In doing this it is working very closely with other Government departments, including the Wales Office.The Wales Office has refocused its priorities following the United Kingdom’s vote to leave the European Union and work relating to exiting the EU now forms part of the policy portfolio of most staff.

Department for Education

Special Educational Needs: British Nationals Abroad

Rosie Duffield: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, where Government responsibility lies for the funding of high needs support for students aged 16 to 25 who are studying outside the UK.

Joseph Johnson: High needs funding is provided to local authorities through the high needs block of the Dedicated Schools Grant, and supports provision for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities up to the age of 25, including provision named in education, health and care (EHC) plans.In deciding on the appropriate placement for a child or young person, local authorities have a duty to consider the efficient use of local authority resources, as well as whether the placement can meet the young person’s needs. If it is deemed necessary to secure provision outside of the UK for a child or young person with an EHC plan, the local authority may use its high needs budget to fund the special educational provision. There is no responsibility for local authorities to provide funding for provision outside of the UK if the child or young person’s needs do not require an EHC plan.We are not aware of any current cases where local authorities are supporting pupils with special educational needs outside of the UK.

Pre-school Education: Rural Areas

Dr  Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will introduce a rurality premium to the per hour delivery cost formula of Early Years Funding for three to four-year old child places.

Mr Robert Goodwill: We have given local authorities the freedom to determine how they fund their providers, within the constraints of the Schools and Early Years Finance Regulations. As such, we have allowed local authorities to take into account rurality when setting their local funding formulae. This rurality/sparsity supplement is intended to give local authorities the funding flexibility they need to ensure that additional money can be directed to providers who face particular challenges because of their rural locations.

T-levels

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans her Department has to provide additional funding for (a) combined authorities and (b) the Mayor of London to support the delivery of T-levels.

Anne Milton: In the Spring Budget, the Chancellor announced a significant investment in technical education for 16 to 19-year olds, rising to an additional £500 million a year. Funding for education places for 16 to 19-year olds in England is allocated directly to providers by the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) in all areas of the country; this will include the additional T levels funding.

Adult Education: Greater London

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much and what proportion of the adult education budget is allocated to national providers that operate in London.

Anne Milton: This information could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Pre-school Education

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children were registered for a place at a maintained nursery school in (a) 2017 and (b) each of the previous five years.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Table 2a of “Schools, Pupils and Their Characteristics January 2017” sets out the number of children registered at maintained nursery schools in each year from 2003 to 2017.This data is available here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2017.

Schools: Finance

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance and support local authorities will receive from the Government to help them develop their local formulas to ensure that every school receives the minimum funding guarantee.

Nick Gibb: Departmental officials are attending local authority regional meetings across England this term. This is to help local authorities understand the funding allocations and the minimum funding guarantee. Detailed guidance for local authorities on the funding system implementation is set out in an operational guide, first published on 4 August 2017 and updated on 27 September. This is available at:https://www.gov.uk/guidance/pre-16-schools-funding-guidance-for-2018-to-2019. This guide covers changes for 2018/19, including the introduction of a more flexible minimum funding guarantee of 0% to minus 1.5%. A modelling tool to support the development of their local formula has been provided to local authorities. Local authorities have been provided with detailed breakdowns of their schools’ block allocations. The allocations will be updated later this year, as in previous years. They will take account of the pupil numbers, which are included in the schools’ census count currently underway.

Special Educational Needs: Finance

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what additional support her Department plans to provide for local authorities that have not received full gain allocation for high needs in the academic years 2018-19 and 2019-20 so that they are able fully to discharge statutory duties in relation to SEND.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Under the national funding formula, every local authority will receive a minimum increase of 0.5% per head in 2018-19 and 1% per head in 2019-20 over their 2017-18 spending baseline. We will also provide gains of up to 3% per head in 2018-19 and a further 3% per head in 2019-20 to enable underfunded local authorities to move towards their high needs national funding formula allocation.We have also distributed a high needs strategic planning fund of £23 million, and have published a benchmarking tool and guidance to support local authorities in reviewing their special educational needs and disability provision, and in planning ahead to discharge their statutory responsibilities with available resources.

Schools: Finance

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the implications of the Institute for Fiscal Studies' estimate of the size of the funding shortfall in school budgets to 2020 for (a) educational standards, (b) teacher workloads and (c) school viability.

Nick Gibb: We are making a significant investment in our schools by providing an additional £1.3 billion across 2018-19 and 2019-20. The Institute for Fiscal Studies has confirmed this investment means school funding per pupil will now be maintained in real terms for the next two years.

Pre-school Education: Capital Investment

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Answer of 14 November 2016 to Question 52463, how (a) much of the £40 million available to the Early Years Capital Fund was allocated on conclusion of the bidding process, (b) many projects were approved in December in 2016 and (c) many of those projects were completed by August 2017.

Mr Robert Goodwill: We announced £100 million of capital funding to create 30-hours places for eligible children to help meet demand from hardworking parents. The funding was allocated to over 350 projects in 125 local authorities in January and March 2017. This funding supports the delivery of 30 hours’ free childcare for working parents of 3 to 4-year-olds. We cannot yet report on the total number of places created by this investment as many projects are still under construction. We are working closely with all projects awarded funding and will publish the outcomes in due course when all projects have completed.

Pre-school Education: East of England

Dr  Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the report entitled Study of early education and development: the potential value for money of early education, published in July 2017, what the modal hourly delivery cost was in early years funding for a three-four-year old place in the east of England.

Dr  Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the report entitled Study of early education and development: the potential value for money of early education, published in July 2017, what the median hourly delivery cost was in early years funding for a three-four-year old place in the east of England.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Study of Early Education and Development (SEED): the potential value for money of early education, published in July 2017, used the Study of Early Education and Development (SEED): The cost and funding of early education report, published January 2017. This report calculated the hourly delivery cost of years funding for 3 to 4-year olds. The mean hourly cost for 3 to 4-year-olds place was £3.65 in the east of England. The median and modal averages were not stated in the report.

Children: Day Care

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate she has made of the number of 30 hours of free childcare codes which have been validated by providers and local authorities.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The national rollout of 30 hours free childcare from September 2017 marks the delivery of a commitment that will help hundreds of thousands of hard working families.The childcare service online application has worked well for the vast majority of parents and, as of 5 September, 152,829 30-hour codes had been validated via the Eligibility Checking System (ECS) on behalf of a parent seeking a place.This is 71% of the 216,384 30-hour codes that were generated by successful applications as of 31 August, as set out in my previous response to the hon. Member for Batley and Spen to PQ 9642:http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-questions-answers/?page=1&max=20&questiontype=AllQuestions&house=commons%2clords&uin=9642.These figures are set out in more detail in our ad-hoc statistical release published on 8 September 2017:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/30-hours-free-childcare-eligibility-codes-issued-and-validated.We will be publishing additional statistics in due course.

Teachers: Vacancies

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when the free national teacher vacancy website announced in the March 2016 White Paper Educational Excellence Everywhere will be operational.

Nick Gibb: The Department is undertaking user research with head teachers, school business managers and recruitment staff and established, returning, aspiring and newly qualified teachers, to strengthen its understanding of the issues schools face when advertising teacher vacancies and the challenges teachers have finding and applying for jobs. It is using this to inform the development and design of a new national teacher vacancy service. We are currently at an early stage of prototyping the new service and testing to ensure the service design is one that best meets the needs of users. Depending on the outcome of this development phase, we would expect to start building a service early in 2018. The teacher vacancy service will aim to reduce the time schools spend on publishing vacancies and the cost of recruiting new teachers; make it easier for aspiring and current teachers to find jobs quickly and easily; and increase the availability and quality of data on teacher recruitment.

Digital Technology: Greater London

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of demand for digital skills in London.

Anne Milton: London is regarded as one of the world’s leading technology hubs generating over £30billion GVA (Gross Value Added) to the local economy, and sustaining over 300,000 jobs (according to Tech Nation 2017). However, it is predicted that within 20 years, 90% of all jobs will require some element of digital skills. Effective digital skills provision is essential to ensure the workforce is prepared for this and future technological changes. Government is taking action at all stages of the education and training pipeline to help encourage young people into digital-related careers and meet demand for digital skills in and out of London. We have introduced computing as a statutory national curriculum subject at all four key stages, and have introduced a new Computer Science GCSE and A Level. We have also introduced an entitlement for adults who lack basic digital skills to undertake fully-funded training as part of the publicly-funded adult education offer. This will ensure adults have the opportunity to secure the basic digital skills that are increasingly needed to participate effectively in the labour market and day–to-day life. We have also established the Digital Skills Partnership, which was announced in the Digital Strategy (March 2017) and launched in July 2017. The Partnership will bring together industry, local businesses, local government, charities and other organisations to bring greater coherence to provision of digital skills training at a national level and also support local level partnerships to increase digital capability. In London specifically, we committed to devolve the adult education budget to London from 2019/20. We have also established Ada, the National College for Digital Skills. Ada opened in September 2016 and is supported by investment of £13 million from Government and £18 million from the Greater London Authority. The college will train 5,000 students over the next five years for a wide range of digital careers, such as software and database developers, user experience designers and tech entrepreneurs. Ada is also working with private sector organisations such as Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Deloitte, IBM and Google.

Digital Technology: Greater London

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the (a) number and (b) proportion of adults in London who do not have core digital skills.

Anne Milton: The Skills for Life Survey, 2011, estimated the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) skills of adults aged 16-64 in England, including estimates by region. ICT skills were assessed against four competencies (word processing, emailing, spreadsheets and a multiple choice assessment of other ICT skills such as internet use). The estimates of the numbers and percentage of the adult population with different skill levels for these components for England and London are in the table attached.



table_attachment
(Word Document, 31.11 KB)

Adult Education: Digital Technology

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the criteria will be for eligibility for free training in basic digital skills for adults lacking relevant qualifications under the new digital strategy.

Anne Milton: As announced in the Digital Strategy published in March 2017, the Government will introduce an entitlement for adults who lack basic digital skills to undertake fully funded training as part of the publicly funded adult education offer. This will ensure adults have the opportunity to secure the basic digital skills increasingly needed to participate effectively in the labour market and day–to-day life. The Government is working with the Further Education sector, employers and other stakeholders to develop the details of the new adult basic digital skills offer and will confirm timings for launching the entitlement in due course.

Ministry of Justice

Prisons: Port Talbot

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, on what date he first received communication from the Welsh Government identifying the Port Talbot site for potential development as a new prison.

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, on what date he first received communication from the Welsh Government identifying potential sites for a new prison in South Wales.

Mr Sam Gyimah: We will close down ageing and ineffective prisons, replacing them with buildings fit for today’s demands. On 22 March 2017, my Rt Hon friend, the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice announced plans for the building of four new prisons in England and Wales, replacing old and overcrowded establishments with new, fit for purpose buildings. The plans include a new prison in Port Talbot in South Wales. The Welsh Government notified the Ministry of Justice of potential sites, including the one at Port Talbot, on 3 May 2016.

Prime Minister

Raif Badawi

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Prime Minister, what discussions she had on the case of Raif Badawi during her meeting with the Saudi Arabian Minister for Foreign Affairs in September 2017; and if she will make a statement.

Mrs Theresa May: This Government stands up for and strongly supports the freedom of expression. We remain concerned about the case of Raif Badawi and we continue to raise it at a very senior level.

Ministry of Defence

Yemen: Military Intervention

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many officials in the operations directorate conduct searches for media reporting of violations of international humanitarian law by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen; and how many of those staff have a working knowledge of Arabic.

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether officials in the operations directorate responsible for conducting searches for media reporting of violations of international humanitarian law by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen search Arabic-language press and social media; and whether those reports are included in the Ministry of Defence Database.

Mark Lancaster: Officials in the Ministry of Defence's Operations Directorate work with a network of staff in wider Defence teams, other government departments, and staff in our Embassies to identify reports of potential international humanitarian law violations from a broad range of English and Arabic language press and social media sources. This network includes staff with Arabic language skills.

Saudi Arabia: Armed Forces

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many UK armed forces personnel are deployed in Saudi Arabia.

Mark Lancaster: As at 15 September 2017 there are currently 105 UK Armed Forces personnel deployed in Saudi Arabia.

Yemen: Military Intervention

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the number of civilian casualties killed in Saudi Arabian air strikes in Yemen.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence does not make an assessment of the number of civilian casualties as a result of Saudi Arabian air strikes as we do not have access to all the information that would allow us to do so accurately.

Armed Forces: Recruitment

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much each branch of the armed forces spent on advertising and marketing for recruitment purposes in each year from 2010 to date.

Mark Lancaster: The information requested for 1 January 2015 to 30 September 2017 is shown below. Comparable data prior to that date is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost:  2015 (£)2016 (£)2017 to September (£)Army6,463,3726,698,30310,011,284Royal Navy & Royal Marines13,190,32811,409,88511,621,005Royal Air Force7,948,7009,086,4737,903,457TOTAL27,602,40027,194,66129,535,746

Ministry of Defence: Empty Property

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many buildings owned by his Department and its agencies are currently empty in (a) Norfolk and (b) North Norfolk; if he will provide a list of those buildings; and what plans he has for the future use of those buildings.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: There are currently 22 empty buildings owned by the Ministry of Defence in Norfolk and North Norfolk and they are listed below:  Establishment NamePrimary Use RAF ColtishallPlant BuildingRAF ColtishallAir Traffic ControlRAF MarhamStorehouseRAF MarhamPlant BuildingRAF MarhamStorehouseRAF MarhamWorkshopRAF MarhamPlant BuildingRAF MarhamOfficesRAF MarhamWash Room FacilitiesRAF MarhamTraining/Education FacilitiesRAF MarhamStorehouseRAF MarhamOfficesRAF MarhamWash Room FacilitiesNeatishead Remote Radar StationStorehouseNeatishead Remote Radar StationCrew Rest FacilityRobertson BarracksAir Traffic ControlStanford Army Field Training CentreTraining EstateStanford Army Field Training CentreTraining EstateStanford Army Field Training CentreStorage/WarehouseStanford Army Field Training CentreTraining EstateStanford Army Field Training CentreTraining EstateStanford Army Field Training CentreTraining Estate  There are no plans for future use of the buildings at RAF Colitshall or Robertson Barracks. The Department is in the process of disposing of the buildings. The Department may decide to use the buildings at RAF Marham, Neatishead Remote Radar Station, and Stanford Army Field Training Centre in the future, but this will be dependent on future requirements.

Military Aid

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many countries his Department currently provides military aid to.

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much financial aid the Government gave foreign militaries in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not use the term military aid to categorise activity. We do though provide a range of support and assistance to countries across the globe through defence engagement and financed through the Defence Assistance Fund. The MOD's Defence Assistance Fund supports a variety of defence engagement activities designed to provide practical help and assistance to the nations concerned, at the same time contributing to the UK's own security objectives, including by developing defence relations and increasing UK influence. Assistance may include the provision of military training and education. Defence engagement helps to build the capacity of the recipient nation to address security challenges, both domestically and on the wider stage, including those of terrorism and violent extremism, helping keep Britain safe. The number of countries in financial year 2017-18 where activity is programmed or has been completed is 116.  Defence Assistance Fund expenditure by financial year (£million) 2007-08 - 9.6072008-09 - 8.0372009-10 - 11.0402010-11 - 13.0962011-12 - 12.0272012-13 - 12.3272013-14 - 15.6352014-15 - 16.5582015-16 - 21.1582016-17 - 27.320

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit: Scotland

Ronnie Cowan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will meet representatives of the Scottish third sector to discuss the roll-out of universal credit in Scotland.

Damian Hinds: Invitations to meet with third sector organisations are routinely considered by Ministers on a case by case basis. At departmental level officials from the DWP have regular meetings with Scottish stakeholders, including representatives from third sector organisations, to discuss matters including the roll out of Universal Credit. As part of the formal implementation planning for Universal Credit there are a range of external engagement activities for each Local Authority area tailored to the individual locality.

Department for Work and Pensions: Standards

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the DWP response to FOI request 1740 on key performance indicators, if he will set out the wording of the key performance indicator referred to in the FOI response; and whether that the key performance indicator is provided to officials (a) taking initial decisions on benefit claims and (b) conducting mandatory reconsiderations.

Penny Mordaunt: The wording of the key performance indicator was set out in the reply to Freedom of Information request 1740, that the honourable lady referred to. It is not provided to decision makers at either the initial decision or mandatory reconsideration stages.

Poverty: Hemsworth

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what data the UK Statistics Authority holds on the level of (a) poverty and (b) in-work poverty in Hemsworth constituency.

Caroline Dinenage: National Statistics on the number of individuals in relative and absolute low income are available in the annual "Households Below Average Income" publication. The numbers of individuals in low income, or in work and in low income, are not available at constituency level in this publication because the survey sample sizes are too small to support the production of robust estimates at this level of geography. Latest estimates from the Households below average income survey can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/599136/hbai-2015-2016-supporting-ods-files.zip. Chapter 3 holds regional information on individuals.

Jobcentres: Closures

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many job centres will close to the public before the lease on their premises expires in the next three years.

Damian Hinds: This information is commercially sensitive. However the Word document attached lists the jobcentres that are due to move their services to other sites and to close by 31 March 2018. Exact dates for these sites are still being agreed but closures will be through a phased approach. We are taking a phased approach to the closure of these Jobcentres because there are a significant number of activities that need to take place to move people, our customers and caseloads to the importing Jobcentre. In phasing this work in this way, we can minimise the risk of any disruption to vital services. For the vast majority of DWP offices there will be no change in location. Where we are closing a site, we will take all possible precautions to minimise disruption for customers. This will mean that the DWP will be able to offer a more efficient service, while delivering good value for the taxpayer and saving over £140 million a year for the next 10 years.



Jobcentres List
(Word Document, 16.76 KB)

Universal Credit

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of universal credit claims was processed and paid within six weeks in the last six-month period for which figures are available in (a) Barnsley, (b) South Yorkshire and (c) the UK.

Damian Hinds: There is no data broken down by area or region. However, data published on 15 September 2017 shows that, nationally, in June 2017 76% of new Universal Credit households received their first payment in full and on time. Across the whole of Universal Credit 92% of all households received full payment on time. The published data can be found here. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/universal-credit-payment-timeliness-january-to-june-2017

Universal Credit: Disability

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what process is in place to identify people who are unable to make applications online for universal credit as a result of a disability.

Damian Hinds: DWP recognises that some people will need help with on-line claims and activity. When claimants make the Department aware of their disability, Universal Credit will offer support in jobcentres to make and manage their claims on-line, and also to acquire or improve core digital skills. DWP has also rolled out the Universal Support initiative alongside the national roll out of Universal Credit, as part of which Local Authorities deliver both digital and budgeting support. Where claimants have no capability to make or manage their claim on-line, telephone and face to face support is available. We are continually reviewing and developing the current vulnerable claimant customer journey, including how vulnerable people are identified and how they are supported both internally and via referral to local services delivered in partnership activity.

Universal Credit: Internet

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether new claimants receive an email acknowledgement of their submission of an online claim for universal credit.

Damian Hinds: Universal Credit send an acknowledgement of the submission of a claim to a claimant immediately, via a secure message in their online journal. This is a more secure method than email, is immediate and protects claimants’ personal data.

Jobcentres: Coventry

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department made of alternatives to closing Tilehead Jobcentre; and if he will make a statement.

Damian Hinds: Coventry Tile Hill Jobcentre is currently 42% underutilised therefore significant savings can be made by merging and maximising space at Coventry Cofa Court Jobcentre. It is better value for money to merge two jobcentres in close proximity, creating bigger and multi-skilled teams. Additionally the IT infrastructure is already in place and the Cofa Court office can import staff and services from Tile Hill, making best use of taxpayers money.

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he plans to publish the full report of his Department's yellow card early warning trial evaluation pilot conducted in Scotland in 2016 benefit sanctions.

Damian Hinds: We are currently in the process of agreeing the final draft of the evaluation. There is a standard 12 week clearance and formatting period from the time the final draft is agreed to publication. We will make the publication date available once it has been confirmed.

Jobcentres: Staff

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2017 to Question 7125, on jobcentres: staff, if he will publish a list of the (a) intervention types identified by his Department and (b) average length of time his Department allocates to each such intervention type.

Damian Hinds: The information requested can be found in in the attached table – PQ 105567 Intervention List.



PQ 105567 Intervention List
(Word Document, 28.1 KB)

Prison Officers: Retirement

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what impact assessment his Department carried out before raising the pension age to 68 for prison officers.

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions his Department had with trade unions in (a) Scotland and (b) the rest of the UK before raising the pension age to 68 for prison officers.

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions his Department had with the Scottish Government before raising the pension age to 68 for prison officers.

Guy Opperman: HM Treasury published an Impact Assessment in September 2012 on the Public Service Pensions Bill, which later became the Public Service Pensions Act 2013. This Act links the Normal Pension Age for public sector workers (including prison officers) to the State Pension Age. Under current legislation, the State Pension Age will rise to 68 for those born 6 April 1978 onwards. The justification for linking the two ages is to keep the Normal Pension Age for public service schemes in line with developments in longevity, ensuring the sustainability of the schemes and managing the risk to the taxpayer. The UK Government had extensive engagement with the Scottish Government and with trade unions before the reformed public service schemes, as outlined in the Act, were introduced in 2015. Regular consideration of State Pension age is necessary to ensure that the pensions system remains sustainable as life expectancy grows. The first Government review of State Pension age was published earlier this year, in line with the framework introduced by the 2014 Pensions Act for regular and structured reviews of State Pension age to be held at least once every six years. The review can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/630065/state-pension-age-review-final-report.pdf

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the recent trends in the number of successful personal independence payment tribunal appeals; and if he will make a statement.

Penny Mordaunt: The main reason that decisions are overturned at appeal is additional evidence provided by the claimant at appeal stage.

Pensions

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans the Government has to establish an approved list of regulated pension schemes with regulated underlying investments that are deemed safe; and if he will make a statement.

Guy Opperman: Pension schemes are registered with The Pensions Regulator (TPR). This is not the same as approval. The exception to this ‎will be master trusts, where in due course schemes will be directly authorised by TPR. The Pension Schemes Act 2017 requires TPR to publish a list of authorised master trusts. This list will be available after authorisation commences which is expected to be in October 2018. A scheme will be authorised where TPR is satisfied that it meets the authorisation criteria on fitness and propriety, systems and processes, scheme funder, financial sustainability and continuity strategy however, TPR will not be responsible for regulating their investment strategies. Regulated investments are a matter for the FCA.

Personal Independence Payment: Hearing Impairment

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2017 to Question 8352, on personal independence payment (PIP): hearing impairment, what estimate he has made of the cost of developing a joined-up digital journey for PIP claimants with health and disability needs.

Penny Mordaunt: I refer the hon. Member to my previous answer on 12 September, PQ 8352.

Children: Maintenance

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his policy is on charges by the Child Maintenance Service when claimants are required to transfer their cases from the Child Support Agency.

Caroline Dinenage: The Child Maintenance Reforms are designed to support parents to make collaborative child maintenance arrangements where possible. This is why cases within the Child Support Agency are being closed rather than automatically moved to the Child Maintenance Service; at this point parents have the ability to choose the statutory service or make a family based arrangement. Applications to the Child Maintenance Service are subject to an application fee (except where domestic violence is reported) and on-going charges for collect and pay. The Child Maintenance Options service supports parents to make the right choice about child maintenance for their individual circumstances; this may be outside the statutory scheme through a family based arrangement. Our review of charging and its impact was published in August 2017.

Occupational Pensions

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to compel employers to inform departing employees of their pension options.

Guy Opperman: Legislation already requires scheme providers and trustees to provide information to members both on request and, in Defined Contribution schemes, at least annually. In addition legislation requires those with defined contribution savings to receive information in advance of retirement, which will also signpost members to the government’s Pension Wise service with whom members can discuss their pension options.

Supported Housing: Housing Benefit

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of people who moved into supported housing in 2016-17 are eligible for housing benefit.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department does not currently collect administrative data on the number of people who are eligible for housing benefit and who moved into supported housing in 2016-17. Developing a workable and sustainable funding model for supported housing is a priority for the Government. We will set out further details on the Government’s plans later in the autumn.

Housing Benefit

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance his Department provides to local authorities on administration of discretionary housing benefit; and what steps his Department is taking to monitor the effectiveness of delivery of that benefit to those most in need.

Caroline Dinenage: The Discretionary Housing Payment fund is not a benefit, but is available to people in receipt of either Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit if they need further financial help with housing costs. This includes helping with such things as rent deposits and removal costs as well as mitigating the impact of welfare reform.  These payments are discretionary and are made by local authorities who have a duty to act fairly and reasonably when considering applications. The Department does however provide on line guidance to Local Authorities in England and Wales. Local authorities also provide voluntary monitoring returns to the Department twice yearly on how these payments have been allocated. Details of the 2016/17 End of Year statistical monitoring returns can be found below:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/576787/discretionary-housing-payments-guide.pdf

Employment and Support Allowance

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average time was for a decision being reached on a claim for employment and support allowance in each of the last 12 months.

Penny Mordaunt: The latest available information on Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) clearance times can be found in the ESA Outcomes of Work Capability Assessments quarterly statistics published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/employment-and-support-allowance-outcomes-of-work-capability-assessment

Digital Equipment: Occupational Pensions

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions of 17 January 2017, Official Report, column 279WH, what assessment he has made of the cost of index-linking pension rights acquired before 1997 for members of the Digital Equipment Ltd pension scheme.

Guy Opperman: The government does not hold the relevant figures. However, we have done some analysis of the impact across all pension schemes and produced a factsheet on the subject, a copy of which I will place in the Libraries of the House.There is no statutory requirement for pensions earned before 1997 to be increased once in payment. To require schemes now to pay increases to pre-1997 pensions would place an additional and unexpected burden on schemes and their sponsoring employers.

Christmas Bonus

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to uprate the annual Christmas bonus for recipients of benefits.

Guy Opperman: There are no plans to uprate the annual Christmas Bonus. The bonus was initially introduced as a one-off payment of £10 in 1972, and has not been uprated or increased on a yearly basis. It was introduced to provide additional financial support at a time of high inflation. It is now an established feature of the social security system.

Christmas Bonus

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the annual cost for the Christmas bonus for recipients of benefits was in each of the last five years.

Guy Opperman: The annual cost of the Christmas Bonus is published in DWP’s Benefit Expenditure and Caseload tables (Table_1a):https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/benefit-expenditure-tables

International Workers' Memorial Day

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure the commemoration of Workers' Memorial Day in the UK.

Penny Mordaunt: The Government continues to recognise Workers’ Memorial Day. It is a poignant reminder of why it is vital to manage workplace health and safety risks in a robust and proportionate way. The Health and Safety Executive as the national regulator will, as in previous years, work with recognised unions and other organisations to formulate appropriate commemorative activity. Typically this includes wreath laying ceremonies at key locations and observation of a minute’s silence.

Jobcentres: Sheffield

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many screened interview rooms are being lost in jobcentres in Sheffield.

Damian Hinds: Sheffield Eastern Avenue Jobcentre currently houses one of three screened areas. Its closure will leave two screened areas, located at Bailey Court Jobcentre and Cavendish Court Jobcentre. At present twenty-one claimants from Eastern Avenue are seen in a screened environment, DWP are confident that Cavendish Court Jobcentre will be able to accommodate these claimants.

Jobcentres: Sheffield

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when the date for Eastern Avenue Jobcentre's closure will be confirmed.

Damian Hinds: An announcement around a proposed closure date was made on Wednesday 11 October at 2pm.

Jobcentres: Closures

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of Jobcentre closures on the planned roll-out of universal credit.

Damian Hinds: An assessment has been made of the closures and there is little effect on the rollout schedule of the Universal Credit Full Service.

Jobcentres: Sheffield

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of potential risks to staff and other customers of the location of screened rooms in Cavendish Court Jobcentre.

Damian Hinds: All moves will have been appropriately risk assessed to comply with Health and Safety legislation to ensure the personal safety of staff and customers.

Employment and Support Allowance

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have been put in the employment and support allowance support group after completing a work capability assessment by (a) region, (b) parliamentary constituency and (c) local authority area in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Penny Mordaunt: The available information on the outcomes of Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) Work Capability Assessments by phase can be found in the ESA Outcomes of Work Capability Assessments quarterly statistics published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/employment-and-support-allowance-outcomes-of-work-capability-assessment From these statistics Table 1a provides outcomes of ESA initial assessments by region and Table 11 provides outcomes of Incapacity Benefit reassessment, adjusted for appeal outcome, by region and local authority. Information on all ESA outcomes by parliamentary constituency and initial and repeat claims to ESA by local authority is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Veterans: Social Security Benefits

Gavin Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 13 September 2017 to Question 9663, if he will set out the measures that his Department has implemented to improve access to benefits and employment for former members of the armed services.

Caroline Dinenage: Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) officials play an active part in the Armed Forces Covenant Reference Group, which brings together officials from across Government with a number of Armed Forces Service organisations. DWP also has a nominated Armed Forces Advocate who is responsible for ensuring that the needs of service personnel, their families and veterans are supported and treated fairly. In Great Britain, DWP has put in place a number of measures to improve access to benefits and employment and to take account of the particular challenges some former members of the Armed Forces might face. These include: Every Jobcentre Plus District has an “Armed Forces Champion”, who works with the Career Transition Partnership, and also links with providers and charities giving specialist support, such as the Royal British Legion.DWP has ensured that War Disablement Pensions and guaranteed income payments made under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme will be fully disregarded in calculating an award of Universal Credit.Receipt of Armed Forces Compensation Scheme Guaranteed Income Payments, and War Pension Scheme payments, exempt a recipient and household from the benefit cap.Working with the Ministry of Defence we introduced the Armed Forces Independence Payment to provide financial support to service personnel and veterans seriously injured as a result of service to cover the extra costs they may have as a result of their injury.DWP uses Service Medical Board evidence where it can so a severely disabled person doesn’t have to undergo additional examinations for Employment and Support Allowance purposes.Early entry to the new Health and Work Programme where appropriate.

Universal Credit

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his policy is on a formal appeal process for decisions on early advances for universal credit.

Damian Hinds: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Ivory: Trade

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when his Department last carried out an assessment of the potential effect on the ivory trade globally of a ban on that trade in the UK.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The government launched a consultation on banning UK sales of ivory on 6 October. As part of preparations for this consultation the government assessed the potential effect such a ban could have on the international ivory trade. This assessment can be found in the impact assessment published alongside the consultation.

Dogs: Imports

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of moving enforcement responsibilities from carriers to Government agencies in order to better tackle the illegal importation of puppies via the Pet Travel Scheme.

George Eustice: Defra takes the issue of the illegal importation of puppies and abuse of the pet travel scheme seriously. All pet animals entering Great Britain on approved routes under European Union Pet Travel Scheme are subject to documentary and identity checks. These are performed by carrier’s staff or checkers acting on their behalf. The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) train and appoint carriers and pet animal checkers. APHA also undertake random audits to assess the effectiveness of the carriers’ activities. APHA work closely with carriers and their pet animal checkers to address any issues identified and provide additional training as required. Defra is currently reviewing the operation of the Pet Travel Scheme in England and review includes the pet checking and carrier approval process. As part of the review the Department held a public consultation during the autumn of 2016. We continuing to gather evidence in preparation for putting the review report to independent scrutiny later in the year. Since December 2015 APHA Port of Dover staff have been working in partnership with transport carriers and the Dogs Trust to identify, seize and quarantine underage puppies illegally transported into the country.

Motor Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to his Department's strategy, UK plan for tackling roadside nitrogen dioxide concentrations, published in July 2017, when his Department plans to issue guidance to local authorities; and if he will make that guidance publicly available.

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when his Department plans to provide guidance to local authorities on its Air quality plan for nitrogen dioxide in the UK, published in July 2017; and if he will make that guidance publicly available.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Government is working closely with local authorities required to take action under the UK plan for tackling roadside nitrogen dioxide concentrations. Bespoke advice, expertise and funding has already been provided. There is regular engagement with the local authorities and the Government is committed to continuing to support local authorities with specific advice, expertise and funding targeted at each area throughout the production and implementation of their local plans.

Government Departments: Catering

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which Government departments and agencies have achieved the Food for Life catering award.

George Eustice: The Food for Life Catering Mark is awarded to suppliers in the food service sector, not to Government Departments and Agencies.

Forests: Protection

Dr Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his policy is on improving protection for ancient woodland; and if he will make a statement.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Government is committed to ensuring stronger protection of our ancient woodlands. The irreplaceable nature and value of ancient woodlands is recognised by their special status in the National Planning Policy Framework. The National Planning Policy Framework is very clear that the development of these areas should be avoided.

Public Footpaths: Repairs and Maintenance

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what funds are provided for the maintenance of national trails for each year to 2021; and what sum has been allocated to maintain the Pennine Way.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Natural England has provided funding of £1.8 million for the maintenance of national trails in England in 2017/18. This figure includes funding of £199,253 for the Pennine Way. Local authority funding will bring the total amount available for the Pennine Way to a minimum of £265,671.Natural England has not finalised its annual funding for national trails for each year to 2021. Natural England expect to complete its plans for the funding of national trails for 2018/19 by December 2017.

Circuses: Wild Animals

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the Government's policy is on a ban on the use of wild animals in circuses.

George Eustice: The Government’s policy is to introduce a ban on the use of wild animals in travelling circuses as soon as Parliamentary time allows. In the interim, the welfare of any wild animals still being used by travelling circuses in England is protected by the Welfare of Wild Animals in Travelling Circuses (England) Regulations 2012.

Home Office

Home Office: Behavioural Insights Team

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much her Department has paid to the Behavioural Insights Team in each year since 2014.

Sarah Newton: Financial Year2014-152015-162016-17Paid£0£139,431.00£0

Drugs: Misuse

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to (a) include harm reduction within the remit of the Recovery Champion and (b) appoint a bespoke harm reduction champion as part of the Government's new drugs strategy.

Sarah Newton: The Recovery Champion will provide a national leadership role around key aspects of the recovery agenda that support sustained recovery, in partnership with Public Health England. This will include looking at the support provided to those in recovery by public employment services, housing services, criminal justice agencies and mental health services.There are no plans to appoint a bespoke harm reduction champion.

Police: Finance

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 5 September 2017 to Question 6357, which police forces have seen their budgets (a) decrease and (b) increase in real terms since 2015.

Mr Nick Hurd: Overall police spending, including council tax precept, is protected in real terms for the period of Spending Review 2015. Individual PCCs who maximise their precept income are receiving broadly cash flat direct resource funding, including precept, when compared to 2015/16.

Police: Finance

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2017 to Question 6345, how much each police force has received through the Police Transformation Fund.

Mr Nick Hurd: All Police Forces in England and Wales are benefiting from Police Transformation Funding, through leading on a project, by partnering with a lead force and/or through a national programme.Details of forces receiving PTF funding are published on gov.uk here; https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/police-transformation-fund-successful-bids-2016-to-2017 and https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/police-transformation-fund-successful-bids-2017-to-2018 .

Counter-terrorism

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether allegations made under the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005 are held by police on a person's record.

Mr Ben  Wallace: Allegations under the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005 are not held on an individual’s record on the Police National Computer.

Police: Finance

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 5 September 2017 to Question 6358, on police finance, whether the £5 rise has decreased the average difference in precept bills between the lower and higher quartile since it was introduced.

Mr Nick Hurd: Since Spending Review 2015, we have provided additional flexibility for the 10 Police & Crime Commissioners in England with the lowest precept bills each year (the lower quartile). These PCCS are able to raise their precept by £5 per Band D household, compared to the usual 2%, without triggering a local referendum. This additional flexibility has enabled those PCCs with the lowest precept bills to achieve similar increases, on average, in band D level to those in the highest quartile.

101 Calls

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of trends in the level of public satisfaction with the 101 police non-emergency number.

Mr Nick Hurd: The handling of 101 calls is an operational matter for the police and the Home Office does not collect or analyse 101 data.However, the Ipsos Mori survey for HMICFRS “Public views of policing in England and Wales 2016/17” published in July 2017 is the most recent assessment of public views on police contact.https://www.ipsos.com/sites/default/files/2017-07/public-views-of-policing-2017-hmic.pdf

Home Office: Empty Property

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many buildings owned by her Department and its agencies are currently empty in (a) Norfolk and (b) North Norfolk; if she will provide a list of those buildings; and what plans she has for the future use of those buildings.

Sarah Newton: The Home Office does not own any freehold properties in Norfolk. The department continues to keep its estate under review to ensure it meets operational requirements.

Vetting

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for how long a conviction or criminal offence is required to be shown a Disclosure and Barring Service check; and whether children and young people under the age of 18 are required to carry forward convictions into adulthood on such a check.

Sarah Newton: For standard criminal record checks and enhanced criminal record checks, a conviction incurred as an adult is disclosable for 11 years from the date of conviction, and a caution incurred as an adult is disclosable for six years from the date it was issued. A conviction incurred by a person under the age of 18 is disclosable for five and a half years from the date of conviction. A caution, reprimand or warning incurred before the age of 18 is disclosable for two years from the date it was issued. However, certain specified offences or a conviction receiving a custodial sentence will always be disclosed. If someone has more than one conviction, then all their convictions will be disclosed. The arrangements are set out in the Police Act 1997 as amended by the Police Act 1997 (Criminal Record Certificates: Relevant Matters) (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2013. A basic certificate will disclose any unspent convictions and conditional cautions as provided for by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

Drugs: Misuse

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the implications for her policies are of the Office for National Statistics' statistical bulletin entitled Deaths related to drug poisoning in England and Wales: 2016 registrations, published in August 2017; and if she will make a statement.

Sarah Newton: The Government continues to be concerned by the increase in death related to the misuse of drugs. That is why the Government published a comprehensive new Drug Strategy in July. The new Drug Strategy reflects the findings of Public Health England’s inquiry into drug related deaths, ‘Understanding and preventing drug related deaths’, which was published in September 2016. The Strategy recognises the benefits of evidence based approaches that help prevent drug related deaths. For example, Naloxone has a vital role in saving lives and we are committed to widening its use in England. We will support local areas to develop a more joined up approach to commissioning and delivering the range of services that are essential to supporting recovery and preventing drug-related deaths.

Department for International Development

Palestinians: Schools

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 13 September 2017 to Question 8642, on Palestinians: schools, what criteria her Department applied in its assessment of the findings and recommendations of the IMPACT-se report on the Palestinian Elementary School Curriculum 2016-17, published in April 2017.

Alistair Burt: When assessing the findings and recommendations of this report, the Department for International Development considered: the impartiality of the organisation writing the report; the research methods used and; the existence of clear evidence to support the conclusions in the report. DFID also cross-checked the findings with other international reports to assess whether the evidence, and resulting conclusions, were comparable. Where findings differed from other organisations we assessed whether this was based on credible evidence.

Developing Countries: Malaria

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of climate change on the geographic range and incidence of malaria.

Alistair Burt: The World Health Organisation and the World Meteorological Organisation have identified malaria as one of the most climate sensitive diseases, with significant associations between changes in temperature, rainfall and humidity and malaria incidence. Africa is home to the greatest burden of malaria: 92% of deaths occur there, including an estimated 292,000 deaths in children under five. DFID supports the World Health Organisation in advising countries, including those in Africa, about their malaria control programmes, including how to adapt to climatic changes.

Palestinians: Cybercrime

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to the Memorandum of Understanding between her Department and the Palestinian Authority (PA), what discussions she has had with the PA on the Electronic Crimes Law adopted in July 2017.

Alistair Burt: Our partnership with the Palestinian Authority (PA) includes a commitment from the Palestinian leadership to respect human rights and other international obligations. The UK raised our concerns about the Electronic Crimes Law with the PA on 27 September and we are continuing to discuss this with the PA.

Palestinians: Judges

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to the Memorandum of Understanding between her Department and the Palestinian Authority (PA), what discussions she has had with the PA on proposed legislation allowing the executive branch to dismiss judges.

Alistair Burt: We have not raised this specific issue with the Palestinian Authority (PA). We will monitor progress of this proposed legislation and if it contravenes the PA’s commitment to respect human rights and other international obligations then we will raise this with the PA. With DFID support, the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) is providing technical assistance to the Palestinian Authority Ministry of Interior to support the development of capable, accountable and responsive security and justice services.

Palestinians: Children

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to the Memorandum of Understanding between the Palestinian Authority (PA) and her Department, what discussions she has had with the PA on its funding of summer camps named after Dalal Mughrabi.

Alistair Burt: Our partnership with the Palestinian Authority includes a commitment from the Palestinian leadership to adhere to the principle of non-violence and to tackle language that could incite violence or hatred. The UK continues to urge the Palestinian leadership to avoid engaging in, or encouraging, any type of action and language that makes it more difficult to achieve a negotiated solution to the conflict. I raised this with senior Palestinian counterparts during my recent visit.

Robert Carr Civil Society Networks Fund

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the work of Robert Carr Civil Society Networks Fund.

Alistair Burt: The UK is proud to be a founding supporter of the Robert Carr Civil Society Networks Fund since 2012 and has pledged up to £9million to support the grassroots response for inadequately served groups affected by HIV.DFID assesses the effectiveness of the Robert Carr Civil Society Networks Fund annually, as it does for all our programmes, and the reviews are available on the DFID Development Tracker at https://devtracker.dfid.gov.uk/.

HM Treasury

Treasury: Redundancy

Jon Trickett: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many (a) men and (b) women have left his Department under exit schemes since 31 March 2016.

Andrew Jones: When numbers are so small that individuals could be identified, identifying details are masked to protect their privacy. Starting on and including the 1 April 2016 the Department has had 5 or fewer men and 5 or fewer women leave under exit schemes.

Treasury: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many civil servants in his Department are part of the Government Commercial Function; and how many of those civil servants have been seconded (a) outside of government and (b) in from outside of the government in each year since 2012.

Andrew Jones: HM Treasury has no record of any employee being part of the Government Commercial Function.HM Treasury has no record of any staff being seconded in or out of the department to the Government Commercial Function from 2012.HMT outsourced its procurement function to Crown Commercial Service in 2013

Foreign Exchange

Chi Onwurah: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what consideration the Government has given to bringing forward legislative proposals to protect customers who use payment initiation services under the revised Payment Services Directive in the event that a product ordered online does not (a) arrive or (b) meet the customer's expectations.

Stephen Barclay: The Payment Services Regulations 2017 (which implement the second Payment Services Directive, PSDII) were laid in Parliament on 19 July 2017 and will apply from 13 January 2018. This brings payment initiation services into regulation for the first time. PSDII is a maximum harmonising Directive, which means the Government is not able to go beyond the explicit requirements on protections for customers using payment initiation services from January 2018. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 sets out consumers’ rights regarding the arrival and condition of goods and services, which apply regardless of the method of payment used. There are separate existing protections that apply to consumers who order a product online but don’t receive it or are dissatisfied in the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013.

Universities: EU Grants and Loans

Stephen Gethins: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether universities will have access to European Investment Bank loans to finance large-scale innovative projects after the UK has left the EU.

Stephen Barclay: The question concerns the future relationship between the UK and the European Investment Bank (EIB). This is something that will be determined as part of the negotiations on the UK’s exit from the EU and the Government will not be giving a running commentary on these negotiations. However, in his Mansion House speech on 20 June the Chancellor said that; “In the long-term, it may be mutually beneficial to maintain a relationship between the UK and the EIB after we leave the EU.” The EIB has been an important source of investment in the UK but the government has also committed to ensuring that finance continues to be available to borrowers and investors after the UK leaves the EU, irrespective of the outcome of the negotiations. This includes the expansion in June of the UK Guarantee Scheme which will offer construction guarantees for the first time. The government has also raised the limit on the amount the British Business Bank can invest in venture capital funds from 33% up to 50% and will bring forward some of the £400m of additional investment announced at Autumn Statement 2016.

National Insurance Contributions

Marion Fellows: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of his Department's policy on employment allowance on (a) employment and (b) small and medium-sized enterprises; and whether he plans to amend the employment allowance policy.

Mel Stride: The Employment Allowance allows business and charities throughout the UK to reduce their employer National Insurance contributions (NICs) bill by up to £3,000 every year. Last year alone this meant over 1 million employers benefitted, of which 97% had fewer than 50 employees. Employers overall saved £2bn in employers NICs due to the Employment Allowance. The Government published research into awareness and impact of the Employment Allowance with small employers in 2015. This can be found online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/445848/Research_Report_368_Awareness_and_Impact_of_the_Employment_Allowance_-_Research_with_small_employers.pdf

Elizabeth Truss

Peter Dowd: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many meetings the Chief Secretary to the Treasury has had since her appointment; and whom she has met with.

Andrew Jones: The Chief Secretary to the Treasury has meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel#history

Customs

Peter Dowd: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many HM Revenue and Customs staff currently work in UK customs.

Mel Stride: There are currently approximately 5,000 staff who work on customs matters across government. This figure does not include the totality of Border Force staff, who undertake a number of other functions in addition to customs work.

Child Tax Credit: Refugees

Patrick Grady: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many child tax credit applications by reunited refugee families have been approved through fast track procedures.

Elizabeth Truss: HM Revenue and Customs do not hold the requested data.

Minimum Wage: Arrears

Paul Blomfield: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of arrears identified by national minimum wage investigations in (a) 2015-16 and (b) 2016-17 have been subsequently repaid to workers to whom they are owed.

Mel Stride: I refer the honourable member back to the answer provided by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Margot James, on 31 October 2016; and to the answer provided by the former Chief Secretary to the Treasury, David Gauke, on 22 September 2015.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Department for Exiting the European Union: Consultants

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2017 to Question 7931, on Department for Exiting the European Union: consultants, for what project deliverables his Department has procured consultancy services since it was established.

Mr Steve Baker: Since it was established the Department has procured consultancy services with respect to programme and project management and in relation to an options appraisal for back office shared service systems.

Department for International Trade

Department for International Trade: Redundancy

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many (a) men and (b) women have left his Department under exit schemes since its creation.

Greg Hands: I refer the hon Member for Hemsworth to the answer I gave on 12 September, UIN: 10040.

Department for International Trade: USA

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 15 September 2017 to Question 9154, whether he discussed the Bombardier-Boeing dispute with Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross during his visit to the US in July 2017.

Greg Hands: We have had Cabinet level engagement with the US Administration and Canadian government. We continue to make efforts alongside the Canadian government to get Boeing into discussions to resolve the case. Ministers across government together with officials have engaged with the US and Canadian administrations and at Bombardier in Canada and Belfast to help in bringing this issue to a solution.

Aluminium: USA

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 28 June 2017 to Question 986, aluminium: USA, what progress he has made in determining the implications of the US Section 232 investigation on the effects of imports of aluminium for the UK steel industry in the talks held with the US Commerce Secretary and US Trade Representative on 19 to 20 June 2017.

Greg Hands: The US Section 232 Investigation on the Effect of Imports of Aluminium on U.S. National Security is ongoing following public hearings held on 22 June 2017 and it would be inappropriate to speculate on the outcome of this investigation.We are following developments closely. We have and will continue to raise our concerns both bilaterally and through the European Commission.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Cybercrime

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Government is taking to improve public and private sector organisations' protection against distributed denial of service attacks.

Matt Hancock: The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) provides and regularly updates guidance for a wide range of public and private sector organisations, including in the critical national infrastructure. The guidance encourages organisations to understand and design their systems to be resilient to a range of common attacks, including Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks.The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is considering the need for the right incentives to be in place to build security into internet-connected products and services. This will help protect devices from being hijacked or misused as part of a DDoS attack. The NCSC’s Active Cyber Defence programme is a mechanism through which it is working with the Internet Service Provider community in order to make DDoS attacks harder systemically.

Cybercrime

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, for what reasons the mitigation of distributed denial of service attacks is not included in the Government's cyber essentials scheme.

Matt Hancock: The Cyber Essentials scheme is intended to provide a minimum level of good, basic cyber security for any organisation, of any size, in any sector. It sets out the measures which any organisation can implement itself to protect against the most common Internet threats. Distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks are difficult to protect against in the same way. Including DDoS mitigation within Cyber Essentials would significantly raise the bar assessed by the scheme, adding significant cost to organisations, even if they were unlikely to ever be the subject of such an attack. Organisations requiring protection from DDoS can consult guidance provided by the National Cyber Security Centre. They can also seek help from third parties offering these services (e.g. Internet Service Providers.)

Cybercrime: Infrastructure

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Government is taking to protect critical national infrastructure from distributed denial of service attacks.

Matt Hancock: The National Cyber Security Centre provides and regularly updates guidance for a range of public and private sector organisations, including in the critical national infrastructure (CNI). The guidance encourages organisations to understand and design their systems to be resilient to a range of common attacks, including Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks. The NCSC’s Active Cyber Defence programme is a mechanism through which it is working with the Internet Service Provider community in order to make DDoS attacks harder systemically. The Government is working closely with CNI operators to ensure they are adequately protected from cyber threats, including DDoS attacks. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is currently consulting on the proposed implementation of the EU Network and Information Systems (NIS) Directive. This Directive will place a legal obligation on operators of essential services to ensure they have appropriate security measures in place to deal with cyber threats. DCMS is also considering the need for the right incentives to be in place to build security into internet-connected products and services. This will help protect devices from being hijacked or misused as part of a DDoS attack.

Department of Health

Health Services: Contracts

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many alternative provider medical services contracts were issued in England and Wales in each of the last 10 years; how many of those contracts have been (a) tendered or (b) retendered; and how many tenders did not result in a new provider being appointed.

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) general medical services and (b) personal medical services contracts have been cancelled by the contractor in each of the last 10 years.

Steve Brine: The requested information is not held centrally.

Accident and Emergency Departments: Discharges

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make an estimate of the number of patients who presented at accident and emergency departments and returned within 24 hours of being discharged in the last 12 months.

Mr Philip Dunne: The latest available figures for the number of patients who present at an accident and emergency (A&E) service and subsequently attend an accident and emergency service within 24 hours in 2015-16 is given in the table below. This figure includes the number of attendances at type 3 and 4 facilities, such as minor injury units, that are appropriately redirected to type 1 and 2 departments, such as major trauma centres. For this reason the figure is also given separately for attendances at type 1 or 2 departments that are followed by another attendance within 24 hours. A count of the number of unplanned A&E attendances1 recorded by A&E department type2 and re-attendances3 within 24 hours, 2015-16:Activity in English National Health Service Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sectorA&E department typeAll attendancesRe-attendances within 24 hoursAll A&E20,168,071896,817Type 1 and 2 A&E15,654,790455,976Source: Hospital Episode Statistics, NHS DigitalNotes:1The following codes were used to identify unplanned A&E attendances:1 = First Accident and Emergency attendance3 = Follow-up Accident and Emergency attendance - unplanned9 = Not known2A&E department type:01 = Emergency departments are a consultant led 24-hour service with full resuscitation facilities and designated accommodation for the reception of accident and emergency patients02 = Consultant-led mono specialty accident and emergency service (eg ophthalmology, dental) with designated accommodation for the reception of patients03 = Other type of A&E/minor injury activity with designated accommodation for the reception of accident and emergency patients. The department may be doctor led or nurse led and treats at least minor injuries and illnesses and can be routinely accessed without appointment. A service mainly or entirely appointment based (for example a GP practice or outpatient clinic) is excluded even though it may treat a number of patients with minor illness or injury. Excludes NHS walk-in centres04 = NHS walk-in centres99 = Not known3This is the number of re-attendances to any A&E department within 24 hours of a previous attendance at A&E. Transfers between hospitals within a provider will be counted as a re-attendance unless they are recorded as planned attendances. Also note that duplicate records inflate the number of re-attendances. Please note we have included type 1 and 2 A&E departments separately because a large number of attendances at type 3 and 4 A&E departments were being directed to type 1 and 2 A&E departments, where they were being re-booked and would be classified as a re-attendance within 24 hours.

Health Services: Contracts

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to expedite the publication in draft form the draft Directions relating to contracts for accountable care referred to in paragraph 3 of Explanatory notes to the Contract published by NHS England in August 2017.

Steve Brine: The Directions set out the requirements on the provision of primary medical services by Accountable Care Organisations. The directions are currently being finalised and will be published on the Department’s website shortly.

Health Services: Contracts

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether safeguards are in place to ensure that the new model Accountable Care Organisation contract, published by NHS England in August 2017, will not result in fewer NHS services being provided than under the traditional NHS standard contract; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, for what reason the consultation on the new Accountable Care Organisation contract will not take place until an unspecified date in 2018.

Steve Brine: The published draft Accountable Care Organisations (ACO) contract is still at prototype stage. NHS England has already undertaken wide engagement on this contract, including specific engagement on an early version in December 2016. Responses to the engagement exercise informed further development of an updated version of the draft ACO contract published in August 2017. NHS England is undertaking ongoing engagement through a series of clinical commissioning groups (CCGs)-specific and national workshops. NHS England considers that it would be not be appropriate to conduct a formal consultation on the draft ACO contract at too early a stage in its development. NHS England is working closely with a number of CCGs which are actively pursuing ACO models for their populations. In doing so, they will test and further develop the draft ACO contract in the context of, and with the benefit of learning from, live procurement processes over the course of the coming months. NHS England will then conduct formal consultation on an updated draft ACO Contract in accordance with regulation 18 of the National Health Service Commissioning Board and CCGs (Responsibilities and Standing Rules) Regulations 2012 in due course, likely 2018, before mandating its use for ACO models.It is for local commissioners to commission services according to the needs of their local population. The Commissioner must run a procurement process that is compliant with the principles of transparency and equal treatment. The CCG would need to be satisfied that the bidder can effectively provide the services in the required locality as specified within the tender, and the commissioner can design the award criteria to reflect the service being contracted, so could include, for example: ensuring quality, continuity of service, accessibility, affordability, availability, Care Quality Commission assessment, needs of vulnerable patients, teaching accreditation, continuity, and comprehensiveness of the services etc. Neither the advert nor the criteria should specify the organisational form of the body that will be awarded the contract. It will be for bidding providers to determine the ownership model of that provider. This contract is designed to support the development of new, integrated providers that dissolve boundaries between primary, community, mental health, social care, and acute services. In developing a bid to deliver an ACO, prospective providers will need to agree an organisational form and to demonstrate they have support from general practitioners as well as other local NHS providers. Over time, we would expect ACOs to build connections with smaller, voluntary sector providers, enabling them to make a valuable contribution.

Crimes of Violence: Acids

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people have been treated for acid burns in the NHS in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Mr Philip Dunne: Information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is provided in the table below. This is a count of finished admission episodes (FAEs) with a primary diagnosis of corrosive burns, for each year since 2011-12 in England. This is a count of hospital attendances, not individual patients as the same person may have been admitted into a National Health Service hospital on more than one occasion. A count of FAEs with a primary diagnosis of corrosive burns, for the financial years between 2011-12 and 2015-16 (activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector).Financial yearAdmissions2011-123812012-134702013-146442014-155992015-16650Source: Hospital Episode Statistics, NHS Digital

Autism: Kingston Upon Hull West and Hessle

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the average waiting time for autism diagnosis for children at schools in Hull West and Hessle constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the average waiting time for autism diagnosis for (a) children and (b) adults in Hull West and Hessle constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Jackie Doyle-Price: We have made no such assessment. Decisions on prioritisation and spending on autism diagnosis services are made locally by clinical commissioning groups and local authorities. The Department will continue to work with NHS England and other partners to help localities address long waiting times for an autism diagnosis. We have included autism diagnosis and outcomes indicators in the Mental Health Services Dataset, with data being collected from 1 April 2018. This will bring more transparency to the process and help to drive up performance.

Blood: Contamination

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether payments from the Skipton Fund for people infected with hepatitis B will vary between Scotland and England; and if he will make a statement.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Responsibility for the infected blood payment schemes in the United Kingdom is a matter for each devolved administration. Scotland has made different choices in relation to their payment schemes. As announced in the consultation response the annual payment from the Skipton Fund for those registered with the English scheme is £3,535 for those with hepatitis C stage 1 and £15,655 for those with hepatitis C stage 2. In 2017/18 the annual payment will rise to £4,500 for those with hepatitis C stage 1 and £18,500 for those with hepatitis C stage 2. A new single scheme administrator, NHS Business Services Authority, will be implemented in England, from 1 November 2017. NHS Business Services Authority will replace the five current ex-gratia payment schemes, including the Skipton Fund.

Baby Care Units

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many NHS Hospital and Foundation Trusts are meeting Principle 3 marker 11 of the NHS and Department of Health, Toolkit for High-Quality Neonatal Services 2009, by providing overnight accommodation for the parents and families of babies receiving neonatal care.

Mr Philip Dunne: This information is not collected centrally by the Department. However, as part of a review into neonatal critical care, NHS England is currently in the process of collating information on the availability of parent accommodation in hospitals and neonatal units, as an important part of the service specification. NHS England is also currently visiting every trust as part of the Quality Surveillance Team reviews. The Neonatal Critical Care Review is to make recommendations that will support the delivery of high quality, safe, sustainable and equitable models of neonatal care across England. A draft review report is expected to be presented to NHS England in the upcoming months. The draft report will then be consulted upon before being finalised. The Neonatal Critical Care Review has already set out a range of themes that are to be factored into Local Maternity Systems’ Transformation Plans.

Breastfeeding

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what data his Department holds on breastfeeding.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Data on breastfeeding in the United Kingdom is recorded in the Maternity Services Data Set which collects and reports data from providers of maternity services, including breastfeeding initiation. Data on breastfeeding status at six to eight weeks is reported through the Children and Young People’s Health Services Data Set. In addition, Public Health England presents data on factors related to conception, pregnancy and delivery, including breastfeeding profiles in their Fingertips site; these indicators show performance against a range of indicators describing demographic, breastfeeding behaviours and health outcome data for mothers and their children. These datasets can be accessed via the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/breastfeeding-statistics

Doctors: Training

Dr  Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, (a) how many and (b) what proportion of NHS doctors have completed foundation training and progressed into speciality training in each year since 2010.

Mr Philip Dunne: The UK Foundation Programme Office collects data on the self-reported intended career destinations of second year foundation doctors who have completed their foundation training across the United Kingdom. The proportion of UK wide trainees reporting completion of the foundation programme and progression into specialty training since 2011 is available in the following table. Destinations for Foundation Programme Year 2 doctors - year on year comparison201620152014201320122011Specialty training in UK - run-through training programme32.8%24.0%29.5%29.9%33.5%34.0%Specialty training in UK - core training programme15.4%26.0%26.8%29.6%30.5%34.0%Specialty training in UK - academic programme0.7%1.3%1.6%1.5%1.6%1.5%Specialty training in UK – FTSTA0%0.1%0.2%0.2%0.8%1.1%Specialty training in UK - deferred for higher degree0.4%0.0%0.1%0.2%0.1%0.1%Specialty training in UK - deferred for statutory reasons1.1%0.5%0.3%0.5%0.5%0.5%Sub-total for specialty (incl. general practitioner) training in UK50.4%52.0%58.5%64.4%67.0%71.3%Locum appointment for training (LAT) in UK0.5%0.5%0.5%0.6%0.7%0.4%Service appointment in UK8.3%9.2%5.6%3.5%3.3%2.3%Other appointment in UK (e.g. anatomy demonstrator, higher education)7%5.5%6.1%2.3%1.9%3.0%Still seeking employment as a doctor in the UK5.9%8.6%8.4%7.6%7.4%6.3%Specialty training outside UK0.3%0.4%0.3%0.6%1.1%0.8%Other appointment outside UK7.8%6.1%3.9%4.8%6.6%7.4%Still seeking employment as a doctor outside the UK4.6%4.3%5.1%6.5%5.5%3.7%Not practising medicine - taking a career break13.1%13.1%11.3%9.4%6.1%4.6%Not practising medicine - permanently left profession0.6%0.3%0.3%0.3%0.2%0.1%Total signed off, known destinations100%100%100%100%100%100%

Social Services: Disability

Dr Philippa Whitford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to address the unmet social care needs of working-age disabled people.

Dr Philippa Whitford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his planned consultation on social care will include working-age disabled people's social care.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Care Act statutory guidance requires that where an adult or carer appears to have care and support needs the local authority must carry out an assessment. This is then followed by a financial assessment to determine whether or not they pay towards their care and support. Where a person is assessed as having eligible care and support needs, and meets the national eligibility threshold, then the local authority must meet their care needs. Social care continues to be a key priority for this Government. This is why local authorities in England will receive an additional £2 billion for social care over the next three years. We will work to improve social care and will bring forward proposals for consultation to build widespread support. The consultation will set out options to improve the social care system and to put it on a more secure financial footing, supporting people, families and communities to prepare for old age, and address issues related to the quality of care and variation in practice. The Government will make further announcements on the scope of the consultation in due course.

Department of Health: Empty Property

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many buildings owned by his Department and its agencies are currently empty in (a) Norfolk and (b) North Norfolk; if he will provide a list of those buildings; and what plans he has for the future use of those buildings.

Mr Philip Dunne: A list of buildings owned by the Department and its agencies that are currently empty in Norfolk and North Norfolk with future plans for the buildings is shown in the table below.Property NameTownPost codeCurrent PlansSt Michaels HospitalNorwichNR11 6WADisposal completed October - 2016Norwich Community Hospital: Building (21 Buildings)NorwichNR2 3TUDeclared surplus and marketing commenced early 2017.The ShipGreat YarmouthNR30 2QEDeclared surplus and marketing commenced summer 2017.KittywichesGreat YarmouthNR30 2PAEmpty leasehold and options under evaluation.Former Ambulance StationGreat YarmouthNR30 1BUDeclared surplus and NHS foundation trust leading marketing of site.Drake CentreGreat YarmouthNR30 4JHRecently declared surplus.Bradwell Medical Centre (Universal House)Great YarmouthNR31 8QWFreehold disposal underway.Fairstead LandKing's LynnPE30 4SRLand surplus car park for general practitioner development that did not proceed. Future plans to be confirmed.

Dental Services: Fees and Charges

Dr Paul Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average payment per unit of dental activity for dental practices is in (a) Stockton on Tees, (b) the North East and (c) England.

Steve Brine: Information is not held in the format requested.

Dementia: Medical Treatments

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of withdrawal from the European Medicines Agency on access to new treatments for people with dementia.

Steve Brine: The Government has clearly stated the United Kingdom’s desire to work collaboratively with the European Union on the issue of medicines regulation. It is in the interest of patients for us to find a way to continue UK-EU collaboration. We want to make sure patients continue to get rapid access to new and innovative medicines and devices, including treatments for people with dementia, and that the quality, safety and efficacy of those medicines and devices are maintained.

Dementia: Research

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to ensure parity of funding between research into dementia care and bio-medical research on dementia.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Department funds research on health and social care through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). The NIHR does not usually ring-fence funds for particular topics. Awards are made in open competition on the basis of importance of topics to patients, and heath and care services, value for money, and scientific quality judged through peer review. The amount of NIHR funding in topic areas depends on the volume and quality of scientific activity. This includes research on dementia care, and applied biomedical research in dementia. In 2014/15 (the most recent year for which a breakdown is available) total Department funding for dementia related research was £31.5 million. Of this, an estimated £12.3 million was for research on dementia services and care.

In Vitro Fertilisation

Heidi Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the level of geographical variation of IVF funding; and whether it is his Department's policy that clinical commissioning groups implement NICE recommendations to commission funding for three cycles of IVF.

Mr Philip Dunne: It is the Government's policy that clinical commissioning groups should have regard to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guideline on the assessment and treatment of people with fertility problems when commissioning services for which they are responsible. This includes the recommendation in the guideline that three cycles of in vitro fertilisation be offered to qualifying couples where the woman is under the age of 40 and one cycle where the woman is between the ages of 40 and 42. The NICE guideline is evidence based best practice for clinicians but is not mandatory. The availability of National Health Service funded fertility treatment is and always has been a matter for local determination. Decisions on the level of service provision are underpinned by clinical insight and knowledge of local healthcare needs and priorities.

Women and Equalities

Migrant Workers: EU Nationals

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, pursuant to the Answer of 9 September 2017 to Question 6824, when the Government Equalities Office next plans to update her on reports of discrimination against non-UK EU nationals seeking employment.

Nick Gibb: Government Equalities Office (GEO) officials have examined a number of advertisements and notices constituting alleged race or nationality discrimination which the hon. Member has brought to the Government’s attention. The GEO has forwarded this material to the Equality and Human Rights Commission, which has powers to enforce the Equality Act 2010 in cases where it suspects that unlawful discrimination may have occurred.